Bishop Andonis with the Archdiocese of New York says Father Nicholas
Hughes will not fight the sex abuse charges against him and is working
on a plea deal.

Hughes has been the interim priest for the past year at the Annunciation
Greek Orthodox Cathedral in the Short North.

He was arrested on Sept. 19 by the Franklin County Internet Crimes
Against Children task force for soliciting sex over the internet.

Investigators say the 56-year-old thought he was chatting with the
parents of a 9-year-old and 14-year-old boy.

Hughes is currently being held in the Franklin County Jail on charges of
attempted rape and unlawful sexual conduct with a minor.

Members of Surviviors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) passed
out fliers at noon in front of the Greek Orthodox Church in Columbus
Tuesday. They want church officials to make public every location Father
Hughes has worked.

NBC4 called the Archdiocese of New York for the locations and the
allegations against Father Hughes. Bishop Andonis says Hughes has served
in Columbus, Mansfield, Galion, and the Metropolis of Detroit.

Andonis says Hughes has been a priest since 1987. The Archdiocese does
not have any record of abuse by Father Hughes in the past.

If Hughes is found guilty of the charges against him, Andonis says there
will be a spiritual decree and he could be defrocked and removed from
the list of priests.

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